On 11/5/2015 4:47 PM, Jim Henderson wrote:
> On Thu, 05 Nov 2015 08:55:42 +0000, Stephen wrote:
>
>
>>
>> There is a big difference between being able to use a radio and design
>> and maintenance.
>
> Well, true - I don't know what the UK tests are like - in the US, there's
> a lot of radio theory even in the lowest level exams.
>

What I meant was the difference between theory and practice.

> The Extra class license is (or at least "used to be" - I took my exams 20
> + years ago now, and that was only the technician level exam) more
> difficult than some of the commercial license exams.  At least, that's
> what I was told by someone who had both a commercial license and an extra
> class license. :)
>

I should hope so. Was it military training? I've worked with a couple of 
exRN "Sparkers" and "bunting tossers". There would be a lot of drink 
involved, I would guess.


>>>> It is quite a fearsome exam. With Morse code and regulations.
>>>
>>> Code isn't required in the US any more - they dropped it out of (as I
>>> understand it) fear that not enough people would join the hobby to
>>> justify the spectrum use.
>>>
>>>
>> It's not? I thought it was an international requirement for a Ham
>> licence. Even at foundation level (5 wpm).
>
> Nope, no requirement at all now.  The ITU ratified a decision to allow
> each country to decide on its own if CW was required or not back in
> 2003.  The FCC dropped the requirement from all license classes in 2006
> (effective in 2007).
>

Obviously I'm not up to date. I imagine "Attics, cardigans and a tuned 
loop antenna".

> I got a "technician" class license in the early 90's, just after the
> requirement was dropped for that class (but the class was limited to 2m,
> 70cm, and 6m - nothing in the ranges the ITU required it for - generally
> below 30 MHz IIRC).  Same exam as the then-new "Technician Plus" (which
> was the old "technician" class, confusingly), and my license was
> grandfathered back to full Technician when the requierment was dropped
> from all classes in 2007.
>

All done by Magic. :-)


>>>
>>>
>> See, black magic. :-)
>
> LOL
>
>
>


-- 

Regards
     Stephen

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